We use cookies to improve your experience, some are essential for the operation of this site.

Draining lake revels icy caves carved into the extensive ice.

Draining lake revels icy caves carved into the extensive ice.
Draining lake revels icy caves carved into the extensive ice.
Draining lake revels icy caves carved into the extensive ice.
Draining lake revels icy caves carved into the extensive ice.
Geolocation data
(68°43′17″N, 49°29′30″W)
Comments (0)
334412
Linder, Christopher L.
Draining lake revels icy caves carved into the extensive ice.
Still Image
07/20/2008
graphics/PD4_greenland/cl_20080720102746.jpg
The moulin Sarah picked for her dye experiment is located in North Lake, a 40 minute hike from our camp. Recently full of water, this lake measured more than 3 kilometers in diameter. Now mostly drained, it reveals an astounding split in the lake bed, stretching about 15 city blocks. The crack looks like an ice canyon, full of arches, caves, and protruding knobs shaped by flowing water and summer sun. Small brooks of melted ice water bubble along and under slabs of thrust-up ice. In other places, waters rush in torrents; here, we shout to be heard. With acres of slides, crevices and slopes to explore and document on GPS receivers, the excited scientists reminded me of kids in an Arctic water park.
Image of The Day caption:
WHOI researchers took a 40 minute hike from their camp on Greenland's ice sheet this summer to this lake bed (full, it measured more than 3 kilometers in diameter). An astounding crack split the bed, stretching about 15 city blocks, and the bed was full of arches, caves, and protruding knobs shaped by flowing water and summer sun. Research on the ice sheet was conducted by scientists Sarah Das and Mark Behn, along with colleagues at the University of Washington, to investigate glacial lakes. These form atop the ice sheet each spring and summer as returning sunlight melts ice and snow.
Photo by Chris Linder
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Labels
This item includes these files
Image
Image
Collections